![]() Cornus drummondii (rough-leaved dogwood) |
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This small tree—actually, "shrub" is usually a better description—is an understory denizen of riparian ecosystems in the Mississippi watershed, where it is often found with common elderberry and riverbank grape under sycamores, willows, and American elms. Like its better-known relative, flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), rough-leaved dogwood has leaves with prominent veins, arranged opposite each other on the branch. However, Cornus drummondii does not grow as tall as flowering dogwood, and its flowers and fruits are very different—as well as the texture of its leaves, which have a sandpapery feel when rubbed between thumb and fingers. In stature, rough-leaved dogwood is a small tree or shrub, rarely exceeding 20 feet in height, with an irregular, open crown. Its trunk is hard to separate from other branches on all but the largest individuals, and reaches a width of 2–3 inches. The bark is grayish brown and smooth on young branches; it becomes slightly to moderately scaly or furrowed as branches mature. Twigs are also grayish brown, and feature opposing, crescent-shaped leaf scars with three bundle marks. |
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References: GN Jones 1971, Miller & Jaques 1978, Kricher & Morrison 1988, RL Jones 2005, Mohlenbrock 2006, Kershaw 2007, Sibley 2009, Voss & Reznicek 2012, Mohlenbrock 2014, Hilty 2017, USDA 2017. Kuo, Michael & Melissa Kuo (October, 2017). Cornus drummondii (rough-leaved dogwood). Retrieved from the midwestnaturalist.com website: www.midwestnaturalist.com/cornus_drummondii.html All text and images © , midwestnaturalist.com. |